Message 1: We helped the police

Murdoch said: "We appointed a special law firm to look into this and to aid our co-operation with the police … I said, 'Yes, the buck stops with me and I pledge I will clean it up', and I did. I have spent hundreds of millions of dollars … not because of the police … we went way beyond what they'd asked us to do."

Message 3: I wasn't looking

"I am guilty of not having paid enough attention to the News of the World, probably throughout all the time that we've owned it … we were all misinformed and shielded from anything that was going on there."

Problem: Murdoch was well known for his interest in the NoW.

Tweet by Hayley Barlow, former NoW press officer: "For all his News of the World black sheep strategy today, is this the same man who once stormed into our editorial conference after we had won a raft of industry awards, fawning all over NOTW execs: 'Bloody great paper, bloody great journalists, keep it going … it's just bloody great.'?"

Tweet by Piers Morgan, former NoW editor, 19 July 2011: "Rupert called me every week for 18ms on News of the World"

Message 4: There was a cover-up by the News of the World's lawyer, not me

"I do blame one or two people for that, who perhaps I shouldn't name, because for all I know they may be arrested yet, but there's no question in my mind that maybe even the editor [Colin Myler], but certainly beyond that someone took charge of a cover-up which we were victim to and I regret the person I'm thinking of was a friend of the journalists, drinking pal, and was a clever lawyer… there had been statements reporting that this person forbade people to go and report to Mrs Brooks or to James."

Problem: Tom Crone, the former NoW lawyer, immediately called Murdoch a liar. "His assertion that I 'took charge of a cover-up' in relation to phone-hacking is a shameful lie. The same applies to his assertions that I misinformed senior executives about what was going on and that I forbade people from reporting to Rebekah Brooks or to James Murdoch.

"It is perhaps no coincidence that the two people he has identified in relation to his cover-up allegations are the same two people who pointed out that his son's evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee last year was inaccurate.

"The fact that Mr Murdoch's attack on Colin Myler and myself may have been personal as well as being wholly wrong greatly demeans him."

Message 5: I would never dream of trading favours with politicians

Murdoch said: "I want to put it to bed once and for all, that that is a complete myth … that I used the influence of the Sun or the supposed political power to get favourable treatment."

Problem: Murdoch did unguardedly admit that he saw trading favours as normal behaviour. "It's a common thing in life, way beyond journalism, for people to say, "I'll scratch your back if you scratch my back."

Robert Jay QC: "But it's interesting that you say that's no part of the implied deal in your relations with politicians over 30 years Mr Murdoch. Is that right?"

Answer: "Uh … yes. I don't ask any politician to scratch my back … that's a nice twist, but no, I'm not falling for it."